Our volunteer colleague and friend Alexandre Stroïnovsky left us
Wednesday, 13 May 2026, is a dark day for CegeSoma. On that day, Alexandre Stroïnovsky lost the battle he was fighting for several months against illness. A volunteer at CegeSoma since March 2020, he was one of the driving forces behind the Resistance in Belgium project. Beloved by all for his diligence, ingenuity, enthusiasm, and unmatched sense of humor, he will leave his mark on the hearts of everyone who knew him.
Alexandre discovered CegeSoma in January 2020 through our now-retired colleague Alain Colignon during the filming of the documentary “Les enfants de la collaboration,” for which he had been asked to share his family’s history. Two months later, on March 19, 2020, he sent me an email stating his desire to join CegeSoma's team of volunteers. To support his request, he described himself as an active retiree, passionate about history, and having recently published a biography of the American automobile manufacturer Preston Tucker. Automobiles were one of his many other passions…
In the brief biographical note he sent to CegeSoma when we asked him to introduce himself on our website, he noted that he was an industrial engineer from Mons and had had a fairly diverse professional career. He had indeed worked in international trade as well as for INTAS (an agency of the European Commission), where he served as a liaison between the IT department and scientific experts in the context of developing research projects. Retired for five years, he wished to make his IT expertise available to CegeSoma.
Over the five-plus years he worked for CegeSoma—until November 2025—he contributed far more than just his IT expertise to our institution! With very few exceptions, he was present every Monday to enter data into Excel files regarding the records of World War II resistance fighters: first those of members of the small L100 movement, then intelligence and action agents, resistance members in the underground press, civilian resistance members, and finally, since November 2024, armed resistance fighters.
While he approached his work with the utmost seriousness, he also had a knack for lifting the team’s spirits on Mondays with his colorful anecdotes and hilarious jokes. He frequently participated in the scientific activities organized by CegeSoma. Moreover, he never missed any of the events organized for volunteers. He often told me how happy he was to be working at CegeSoma. Last December, he joined us again to visit the exhibition on Belgium's State Railways (SNCB) during World War II. His phone rang discreetly every three minutes… and for good reason: his many friends hadn’t forgotten it was his birthday!
One thing is certain: he will be sorely missed by everyone, as evidenced by the various spontaneous reactions following his departure, which are compiled below:
« Je viens d'apprendre, ce soir, par notre ami commun, qu'Alexandre nous a quitté mercredi soir. Il avait à nouveau été hospitalisé (…). Je suis tellement désolée, je comptais fermement lui rendre visite cette semaine. »
« Je m’en veux aussi de m’être trop facilement rassuré. (…). Bien sombre dimanche, en tout cas. »
« Quelle triste nouvelle ! Depuis notre visite à Train World en décembre, je savais évidemment que son état n’était pas bon, mais j’espérais une amélioration. »
« Quelle bien triste nouvelle … J’avais moi aussi le secret espoir qu’Alexandre allait prendre le dessus … et que nous le reverrions … Toutes les photos que j’ai pu retrouver d’Alexandre depuis mars 2020 (…) témoignent de sa joie de vivre, de son caractère espiègle mais tellement bienveillant et de son implication dans votre équipe (j’ai presque envie de dire famille) de bénévoles. Voilà, je voulais encore juste vous dire qu’il allait aussi, comme à vous, beaucoup me manquer et que j’étais de tout cœur avec vous et avec les siens. »
« Je l'ai eu plusieurs fois [au téléphone] quand il était hospitalisé mais je n'ai pas su aller le voir ... je n’'imaginais pas que cela aurait été si vite… (…). Oui il m'a tellement apporté (…) des fous rires, un humour décapant parfois. »
“Echt heel droevig nieuws! Zo'n geweldige, grappige man en zo'n leuke collega in het ploegje van de maandag”
« C'était un personnage unique et attachant, je me rappellerai ses anecdotes hautes en couleurs, sa bonne humeur et ses traits d'esprit. Je suis très heureuse d'avoir pu croiser son chemin. »
« Au-delà de la peine causée par cette nouvelle, je suis persuadé qu'Alexandre continuera à nous accompagner tant que sa mémoire restera dans nos cœurs. »
Goodbye, dear Alexandre, and thank you for everything.
Fabrice